Channel Rihanna With These Fake Piercings

The media got excited when Rihanna debuted a septum piercing at her brother's album release party earlier this week, and although the piercing turned out to be fake, I'm still pretty into the style statement. Why? Because this is a rare Rihanna signature that many less daring souls would probably be willing to try. I mean, you have to be a particularly brave individual to wear a sheer dress on a night out, but a fake septum piercing? NBD.

I'm a big fan of false piercings for two reasons: Because I have a metal sensitivity that prevents me from getting pierced for real and because they're an easy way to look really badass without having to endure the pain of the piercing gun (also, please avoid piercing guns in general). I've actually been wearing ear cuffs since I was a little kid when I would buy them at Claire's, but as you can see from Rihanna's look, fake piercings have only gotten more sophisticated since the early '00s.

Ear cuffs, fake nose rings, and all kinds of variations on the theme are hot right now. You can find them at different price points and they're carried by tons of stores and online retailers. Rihanna's fake septum piercing is from jewelry brand Meadowlark and will be available as both a clip on and a real piercing come September. You can currently pre-order the piece on the Meadowlark website.

Don't have the patience to wait? There are so many amazing fake piercings out there, some of them dirt cheap! Here are just five of my favorite picks from around the web.

1. Tragus

This tragus clip-on earring is so realistic that you'll have to hide it from your mom along with those skull-printed band t-shirts you bought from Hot Topic. Plus this one is super inexpensive so you have nothing (okay, you have six dollars) to lose (Etsy, $6).

2. Gatsby Cuff

Skip the drop earrings — you know what you're wearing to Jay Gatsby's next party. This Deco-inspired cuff would look right at home on West Egg, Long Island... if that were, you know, a real place (Urban Outfitters, $18).

3. Twisted Septum

This false septum piercing might prompt a few people to indicate you should blow your nose, but the elegant twisted design means this is subtle way to rock the look. Think of it as your training wheels before you buy that one Rihanna wore (Etsy, $9).

4. Ear Hanger

Not only do you feel badass while wearing an ear hanger, you have the benefit of confusing people who want to know why your earring is cascading down behind your earlobe. Definitely a conversation piece (Free People, $29.95).

5. Big Dipper Ear Pin

The ear pin is one of the most unique ways to go piercing free and look like you're sporting something complex. I love the Big Dipper design on this one from Etsy (Etsy, $19).

Images: meadowlarkjewellry/Instagram, Etsy (3), Urban Outfitters, Free People